This session with Brenna and Caden really helped me realize that working with couples and families is where I have the most fun creating! I've always loved love and any time I work with families and get to learn their story it makes me feel so honored to help them capture their bond. This session was especially special as Brenna and Caden used this photoshoot to celebrate their Rainbow Baby. If you haven't heard the term "Rainbow Baby" before, you're not alone. I shared about the purpose of this shoot with some friends afterward and was surprised to learn they were unfamiliar with what a Rainbow Baby was.
A Rainbow Baby, by definition from Healthline.com, is a healthy baby after the loss of a baby primarily related to miscarriage. The term “rainbow baby” comes from the idea of a rainbow appearing in the sky after a storm, or after a dark or turbulent time. Needless to say it was a very special session for me to be included in and I can only hope I honored their vision for the shoot.
This was only my second time utilizing this unique, lesser-frequented location within Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona. Buffalo Park used to be my go-to spot for photoshoots in Flagstaff, but over time I've noticed that photos there can be pretty tricky. Not only is this location big for tourists and other photographers in the area, but I found that my sessions here lacked variety. I wrote in my last blog that variety is a huge focus for me in sessions lately so noticing the lack in variety during a previous session in Buffalo Park was a red flag for me. Going into this session I decided I'd break up the session. For the first half, we off-roaded into an area that was more dense with Ponderosa Pines and had lots of fun light to play with and for the second half we drove up the street to the location with a better view of the San Francisco Peaks (which is a desirable photo to get and makes Buffalo Park a hotbed for photographers and photoshoots). I'm thrilled that I made this somewhat last-minute call because the photos from the first half of our session more tucked into the trees were much more flattering and appealing lighting-wise.
And if you haven't noticed yet, I've had tons of fun playing with this new black and white edit style. In the past I never included many black and white shots into my editing process but this one seems to work with nearly every photo setup, lighting situation, and facial expression. It's got a mood transfer I'm just crazy about!
I'm so excited to continue celebrating this family's journey!
